Pfizer and Flynn Pharmaceuticals accused of manipulation of prices of epilepsy drugs by British CMA

CompilationFan Dongdong

A few days ago, the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) accused Pfizer and Flynn Pharmaceuticals of violating antitrust rules and increasing the prices of anti-epileptic treatments, resulting in them charging the British National Health Service (NHS) excessive treatment fees
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CMA accused Pfizer and Flynn of deliberately increasing the sales price of phenytoin sodium capsules
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According to the CMA report, in 2012, the two companies “de-branded” drugs sold under the Epnutin brand name

The CMA accused Pfizer and Flynn Pharmaceuticals of exploiting a loophole in curbing the price of drugs purchased by the NHS

CMA said that after the removal of the brand, Pfizer increased the price of such drugs by 780% to 1,600%
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Pfizer subsequently provided the drug to Flynn Pharmaceuticals, and Flynn Pharmaceuticals continued to raise prices on the basis of Pfizer and sold it in the UK at a price of 2300% to 2600%

Pfizer and Flynn Pharmaceuticals were initially fined £84.
2 million by the CMA for price increases in 2016, but the two companies refused to accept the judgment and subsequently appealed
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In June 2018, the Competition Appeals Court upheld the CMA’s ruling on the market definition and monopoly status of Pfizer and Flynn, but rejected the CMA’s ruling that Pfizer and Flynn’s prices were illegally “abusing” of their dominant position

CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli said in a statement, “There are approximately 48,000 epilepsy patients in the UK relying on this drug to prevent life-threatening seizures caused by epilepsy.
Very important
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Protecting these patients, the NHS and the taxpayers who fund them is the top priority of the CMA

According to the British "Guardian" report, currently Pfizer and Flynn Pharmaceuticals have the opportunity to respond to the CMA's interim investigation results before the regulators reconsider whether they violated the law

It is worth noting that in recent weeks, the CMA has imposed penalties on a series of similar violations of price increases, such as fines of US$260 million on pharmaceutical companies associated with Auden Mckenzie and Actavis UK, on ​​the grounds that the two companies have increased the number of companies in the UK.

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